03.10
That’s not a friend, that’s a frontman
It’s no secret that our venues are nearing empty, show flyers are receiving little recognition online. And frankly, no one’s giving a fuck about shows anymore. I’m sure everyone has their own perspective on why that is. The opinion differs from music promoter, to sound tech, to a band, to someone in the crowd and just as them, our opinion differs here at Sound Deep. We think people aren’t showing up and showing support because well, some of the bands are pieces of shit.
Relax, we said some. Our entire mission is to help our local scene in the best ways possible. We can guide bands and artists in the direction of releasing a new E.P, a videographer for a music video, and even a sound engineer to produce their newest music, but unfortunately, we can’t teach people to be morally decent humans. A hard pill to swallow, we know. This isn’t easy to talk about, but it’s necessary. It’s important that the problem is diagnosed and shared so we can do our part as a community to repair, regrow and unite.
Choosing to look the other way.
It’s hard to admit that some in the scene have the ‘bystander effect’. Having good music doesn’t presumably give credibility in morality. It’s easy to forget that our favorite vocalists, writers, and musicians are humans underneath their talents and how dangerous it is to idolize them. Forgetting this makes it easy to turn a blind eye when an ugly truth surfaces. How can you get out of the bystander effect you ask? Well, we’re not therapists here at Sound Deep, but what we do know is music is love. If what a band is doing, saying, how they’re moving, doesn’t come from a place of love, then it is wrong. Thus, causing us to write this article.
Abusing their platform.
Coming together as a community to support a band enough for them to grow and have a large following and platform is one of the many beautiful things we can do as lovers of music. Fans get bands places. We get them on larger stages, in front of larger crowds, tons of streams. We buy their merch, we give them love, and nonetheless, show out for them in all the ways music allows us to. It’s always a slap in the face when in return the ‘local’ band see’s the stage we’ve provided for them as a staple for ego and superiority. When they begin to feel privileged and entitled and refuse to play with upcoming smaller bands, humble venues, and shit on new and upcoming creatives just trying to do their job. Keep in mind, these are some of the bands we allow in our scene. We allow them to destroy the entire path we paved for them. BUT, who are they without us? Coming together and cleaning up our music scene is probably one of the ‘most’ refreshing things we can do as fans. It’s 2023, let’s stop letting bands abuse their platform when we’re the ones who gave it to them.
Predatory behavior.
The defamation we face over here at Sound Deep due to a band member's predatory behavior towards one of our own is truly sickening and makes it that much harder for us to do our job and keep the passion for the local scene burning. This is a cycle that we see quite often. A band member objectifies another person, gets turned down, then immediately blacklists the victim or as for us, the company. It’s weird. Point blank. It’s deceiving. It is so important for us to defend our name and keep the foundation of everything we’ve worked for solid. After losing clientele, supporters, and a sense of hope due to the aftermath of predatory behavior and defamation, it is very clear that this is a very large problem in our music scene. It has me thinking, why the hell do we let this shit slide? Why aren’t we name dropping and ending this shit? Ultimately, we cannot change who these people decide to be, but we can focus on the love and support we give them. We shouldn’t support bad people. No matter how good the music may or may not be.
We love the scene. We miss it. We want it flourishing. We want to see sold out shows and everyone anticipating the next local showcase. We want everyone, who deserves it, to make it. There is room for everyone at the top. It is time to make the scene a SAFE place to create, share, and to release. It is time we all do our part to revive the music community. It’s time to speak up. We love you all. We’re just tired of this shit.
Much love,
The Sound Deep Team
Please expect a full undisclosed statement in hopes of shedding light of an ugly truth very soon. Thanks for all of the support.